Meeting a potential partner these days can be tough. We lead busy lives and often have little time to socialise in mixed groups. The situation is often made even worse if most of your friends are married or in long-term relationships.

You might be feeling particularly down about the situation this month with Valentine’s Day hype taking over the high street and the media.

However, you should not despair about your lack of a love life. There are ways in which you can increase the likelihood that you will find a match.

For example, you can arrange a fancy dress party. Such occasions are a great way of getting to know new people. All parties are like this in some ways, but ones in which men’s and women’s fancy dress is on display are even better.

Speaking to individuals you don’t know can be a little daunting and this can be worse if you feel attracted to them. You could find yourself getting tongue-tied and not having anything worthwhile to say.

But if you are adorned in 80′s fancy dress, or ensembles of any other theme, you will have an easy way of breaking the ice.

Taking an interest in the garments worn by others and explaining your own choice means you should not run out of things to talk about.

And people’s inhibitions tend to be lower in general because of the fun atmosphere of gatherings like this. So, if you are feeling lonely, why not organise a bash of this nature?